One Light Shining
by CaseyL
Summary: My initial take on where I'd like things to go after the finale with Rayna and Deacon.
1. Chapter 1

I loved the ZAG song in the finale so much that I wanted to integrate it into a Rayna/Deacon scene. Plus it surprises me that for a woman that's looking desperately to expand her label with new artists that Rayna didn't sign them right away after the performance at Deacon's benefit. This takes place a little after the finale.

##

Gunnar was tuning his guitar as Avery stepped up to the mic and Zoey did some vocal exercises to get ready. If this was going to be their first single on Highway 65 they wanted to make sure it was perfect. They had the top producer in Nashville sitting on the other side of the glass, and the head of the label, who also happened to be a superstar in her own right, overseeing the whole thing. "Alright guys," the producer said. "Let's take it from the top. Gunnar and Avery started to play the twangy metal sound of the open as Zoey chimed in with some background vocals.

"_Let it rain, let it pour, I'll always get this ship to shore baby. It's crazy. Things that I would do for you, the hell that I would walk right through to save you. Yeah to save you._

_From now on you're never going to be alone. If you get lost I'll be there to bring you home._

_In the middle of a dark night I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining girl. I'll keep you safe until the red sunrise. I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining come on." _

Rayna leaned over to talk to the producer. "This sounds great Sam, do you think you could bump the vocal up a bit during the chorus?"

"Sure Rayna, no problem."

Rayna smiled and went back to listening to them lay down the track.

"_Let your deepest secrets kept, off your chest, off your lips. I promise, I'll keep 'em. There ain't nothing that you could say that'd make me walk away. I'll hold on, believe me._"

Rayna was tapping her foot to the music when all of a sudden she heard some familiar voices coming down the hallway. The door swung open and Maddie ran in followed by Deacon. Maddie gave her mom a quick kiss then pressed her face against the glass watching every move the band was making as they recorded their song. Deacon walked up to Rayna and slid his arms around her waist. Then he leaned into her and started kissing her neck softly. Rayna turned in his arms playfully swatting him. "What are you doing? Our daughter is right there, plus you and I aren't technically together, we shouldn't be giving her the wrong idea." Deacon pulled her tighter against him and kissed the area behind her ear. "Stop," she said with very little conviction. "That's not what you were saying last night when I was making love to you," Deacon whispered in Rayna's ear. "In fact, I think you were saying _don't_ stop if I remember correctly."

"Last night was a lapse in judgment," Rayna replied coyly. "Now behave. We're in public." She looked up at him pretending to be stern, but she knew she was just coming across as silly. Deacon pulled back a little resting his hands on her hips as they continued to listen to the song.

"_Heaven knows there's no ghosts in this house. Close your eyes, baby let the candles burn out._

_In the middle of a dark night I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining girl. I'll keep you safe until the red sunrise. I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining come on."_

"They sound great Ray. Didn't I tell you that they'd be perfect for your label?" "Uh huh, so perfect." "You should listen to me more often," Deacon joked. "I'm always right." "Is that so?" Rayna said smiling up at him. "Yep, always," Deacon replied once again skimming his fingers over the exposed flesh above Rayna's low-rise jeans. He leaned back into her and started singing along with the music.

"_Come on we're in this thing together, I ain't afraid to say forever. You call and I'll come running after you._

_In the middle of a dark night I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining girl. I'll keep you safe until the red sunrise. I'll be your one light shining, your one light shining, come on."_

Rayna knew she should be paying attention to the singers behind the glass, but all she could concentrate on was Deacon's low rumbling voice in her ear singing about forever and being her one light shining. And the way he said "come on" was just about the sexiest thing she'd ever heard. It was doing things to her she did not want to think about while her daughter was in the room.

It had been two months since that night when Deacon had surprised her showing up at her house after the concert at LP field, after Luke's proposal. She'd thought that she was happy in that moment. That marrying Luke was the right thing for her future, but once Deacon walked in the door and told her he wasn't going to lie to her by saying congratulations, she knew that the only person lying in that room was her to herself.

She'd been so flustered that night. All the walls that she'd worked so hard to put up, to keep him away in order to protect her heart, were being systematically destroyed piece by piece by his words.

"_I know how to love you now. That man you'd always wanted me to be. I am that man. And I can be a husband now, and I can be a father. And I can give you everything that we were always meant to have. And maybe I'm too late, and maybe I should move on, but I can't. I've tried like hell, but all that ever happens is I get better at lying to myself. I don't want to do that anymore." _

Rayna had felt herself shaking inside, and when he walked over to hold her she'd jumped at his touch, half-heartedly putting her hands up to stop him. But the moment he circled his right arm around her and touched her cheek with his left, she knew she was putty in his hands, just like it'd always been.

"_You and me Ray. That's how it's supposed to be. You know that." _

She thought about Luke proposing to her, and how everything had seemed so simple just ten minutes ago and she shook her head as if to say that she didn't know that; once again making an attempt to lie to herself. Her favorite coping mechanism.

But _of course_ she knew that, it had been ingrained in her since she was 16 years old. She and Deacon Claybourne were meant to be, like Johnny and June or Tim and Faith. No matter how hard they tried, there was just no separating the two of them. She was so confused about everything, but he was so calm and sure enough for the two of them; a side of him that she'd never really seen before, but that she was finding irresistibly sexy. When he said 'it's Maddie, Daphne, you and…me' and leaned in to kiss her she knew the walls had crumbled to the ground. The smell of his body and the feel of his lips against hers, however brief, had sent her head spinning. When he pulled away she felt herself lean in for another kiss, but had enough presence of mind to know she shouldn't do that while still wearing Luke's ridiculously large ring on her left hand.

But all that was in the past. She'd spent that night in turmoil, laboring over what she should do, but the moment the day came and her kids walked in the door she looked over at the photo that Maddie had given her and knew that Deacon had been right, the four of them, they were a family, and there was no place in there for Luke. She'd given him the ring back much to his dismay, and had given an exclusive statement to People in exchange for their discretion on why the king and queen of country's engagement was over before it even began.

Things with Deacon had been more complicated. She knew she loved him, that he was her family, but the year had just taken too much out of her. She'd hung the ring on a chain and clasped it around her neck. "That's not supposed to be where you wear it Ray, it's a ring," Deacon said when he'd seen it.

"I know babe, but I'm just not so sure I'm ready yet to wear it on my finger quite yet."

"Well, at least there's nothing else there," Deacon sighed staring at the ringless finger on her left hand. It hadn't been ringless the last time he'd seen her, so this was a big improvement over that. "I just think that we should take some time to adjust to being a family before we jump into marriage. I love you, and that's what I want, but you're right, you've changed, and so have I, and I think we have to take some time to get to know the new us. We have the children to think about, and I just want both of us to be 100% sure before we say forever, okay?"

"Ray, I'm 100% sure now, but if you need time to get there, I'm okay with that too, just as long as I can come along for the ride."

Rayna leaned into him placing her hand on his chest and smiling. "Yeah you can," she said as she softly kissed him on the lips.

From there they'd mostly stuck to that plan, but there had been a few slip-ups like last night. The girls were at Teddy's and Deacon had come over to watch a movie. She should have known they were asking for trouble when he'd brought _The Shining_. He knew her well enough to know that she always needed someone to hold her during scary movies. They were making out before they even got to the scene with the twins. His hands easily slipped beneath her soft sweater and she barely took a breath from kissing him as he lifted it over her head. Before she knew it they were in the bedroom, the rest of their clothing having been left in a trail through the house. Each time she could feel him throbbing inside of her, and his hot kisses scorching every inch of her skin she wondered why she thought it was necessary to wait even a minute longer for them to commit to each other for the rest of their lives, but when she looked at the girls she knew this had to be a slow burn. She just couldn't help it if there were some flash fires every once in a while. Plus, nothing seemed like such a rush anymore. They knew they had forever to be together, and they were both okay with however long it took to get it right.

Rayna ran her hands over Deacon's and leaned back into him. Gunnar, Avery, and Zoey came out of the booth. "What'd you guys think?"

"It's great," echoed around the room. Sam turned around to address Rayna. "It is great, but I think it needs a little something extra, maybe a slightly higher voice." Maddie turned around excited. "I could do that!"

"Well, a younger voice might be kind of nice in there," Sam mused.

"Can I?" Maddie asked.

"It's fine with me," Avery replied.

Maddie turned towards Rayna and Deacon with hopeful eyes. "Mom, dad?"

Rayna and Deacon looked at each other, then turned back towards the group. "Alright," Rayna said. "But just back-up, and just on this one track."

Maddie was so excited she looked like she was going to bounce off the walls. Sam got the four of them situated back in the booth, and they began to play the track again.

As the four of them sang Deacon wrapped his arms around Rayna again. "That's our girl," Deacon said. "She's growing up."

Rayna leaned back into his arms letting herself enjoy the moment. "Yes, she certainly is."


	2. Chapter 2

Rayna was getting into her SUV at Soundcheck when she spotted Luke pulling in across the way. She was hoping he wouldn't spot her, but he motioned a wave before she had time to get her keys in the ignition. They hadn't spoken since the day she'd given him his ring back. It had been messy; he had not only been hurt, but also angry with her for lying to him. She didn't know how to tell him that she hadn't even realized that she'd been lying.

Years later when she was sitting on the porch at the lake house with her grandkids, she'd tell them that the moment grandpa put the silver band in her hand she'd known they were going to spend the rest of their lives together without a second thought, and maybe by the time she was in her 70s she'd told the story enough that she believed it to be true, but the reality was a little different.

The morning after both men proposed, Rayna had come to the conclusion that she loved Deacon more than anything and always would, but she was still scared that Deacon's beautiful speech might only be backed by good intention instead of fact. She wasn't sure she wanted to risk the stability she'd found with Luke on something that might once again land her in a pit of heartache and despair. She'd heard Deacon say he'd changed before, heard him promise that the drinking was over, and that _this_ time it would be different. Granted, in this instance there _was_ more evidence to back his claims up, but the uncertainty still scared Rayna to death.

She couldn't really use the girls as an excuse anymore since Deacon was already spending more time with Maddie than most teenagers were willing to spend with their fathers. Regardless of whether Rayna married Deacon or not, he was going to be a strong presence in Maddie's life. If he went teetering off the end of the wagon, there was nothing she could do to protect Maddie from the hurt.

When Luke walked through the side door with Colt they'd found her passed out on the couch, still in the clothes she was wearing the night before. As Luke bent over to move her hair from her face, kissing her cheek to wake her up, she was careful to pull her left hand under her so he wouldn't notice that his 7-carat stunner had some rather humble company on her ring finger.

"Darlin' have you been sleeping here since last night?" Luke laughed as he turned to Colt. "She just doesn't sleep well when I'm not with her."

Rayna gave a weak smile through a sleep-induced haze and motioned upstairs. "I'm a mess, I'm going to go shower, why don't you two make yourself at home and have some breakfast. I'll be down in a few."

Rayna raced up the stairs closing the door to her bedroom behind her and bolting the lock. She wasn't ready to play the part of the devoted fiancé. She needed more time to gain her composure…and to think. She needed lots more time to think. When she reached her vanity she slipped both rings off of her finger. She placed Luke's on the dresser and slid Deacon's into her jewelry box where it had lived for 14 years. Then she stripped off her clothing and entered the shower turning the water up as hot as it would go without scorching her skin.

Rayna wasn't sure how she managed to make it through the rest of the day, but it was probably a good thing that Colt was in town. He distracted Luke just enough so that he didn't notice how tortured Rayna was all day, barely meeting Luke's eyes whenever he looked at her. She was afraid that if he got a full view into her eyes that he'd be able to see all the thoughts of Deacon dancing around in there. She was lucky that it was Deacon, and not Luke who was able to see into her that deeply.

When he suggested staying the night to "consummate the engagement," she convinced him that it just wouldn't be right with his son there. "We'll have plenty of time for that later. Let's just focus on the kids right now." Luke sighed and gave her a kiss. "I'll be back tomorrow and we'll start the wedding planning then. There's nothing like flower arrangements and choosing cakes to put a smile on a woman's face." Rayna raised her eyebrows at the remark, but Luke didn't seem to notice.

##

The next day Teddy had dropped Maddie and Daphne off at Deacon's before heading out of town on some official city business. Deacon was supposed to give them a guitar lesson, then drop them off at Rayna's in the afternoon. When they arrived at the Belle Meade mansion there was a flurry of activity going on around the house. Bucky and Tandy were monitoring the number of downloads for the new album, Colt was playing videogames on the couch, and Luke was going on about wedding venues. Rayna was the only one who seemed motionless in the swirl that was surrounding her.

Deacon looked at her, then down at the diamond still sitting on her finger and a sharp pain shot through him. He'd hoped that she would have taken it off by now, that Luke and Colt would be ensconced in their own house across town, but watching the apathetic stare that was plastered on Rayna's face as Luke talked to her about whether they should let People or Us cover the big day, he felt a glimmer of hope that one day soon it would just be the four of them causing all the commotion in the house.

When Rayna saw him standing there her breath caught and she couldn't peel her eyes away from him. All she could think of was that damn kiss and how amazing it felt. "Fuck," she thought. "Why did he have to taste so damn good?" When his eyes found hers it was as if everyone else in the room disappeared and they were back there alone leaning against the counter, his hand in her hair, his lips just inches from her own. She caught a glimpse of something different in his eyes today that hadn't been there the other night when he was holding her. Pain. She could see the pain in his eyes that she was still sitting there with Luke after he'd poured his heart out to her in one of his most vulnerable moments. She could see he was trying to hide it, but it was there plane as day, and it killed her to see it. She didn't want to hurt him, causing Deacon pain was like stabbing a sharp knife into her own chest, but she just didn't see a way out of this situation she'd created at the present time.

"Deacon," Luke raised his hand to wave Deacon towards them. "Can you talk her into getting married at the Ryman? Tell her that it's only fitting for the king and queen of country to tie the not at the mother church of country music."

Deacon cleared his throat and tried to brush the thoughts of he and Rayna out of the forefront of his mind. "I don't know man, the Ryman is awfully big for a wedding venue. It's the perfect place for a concert, but shouldn't vows be said somewhere more intimate?"

Luke got a sour look on his face. "That's what Rayna said too. I just think it would be perfect though. The sound is already wired so everyone can hear us even if they're sitting in the back."

Deacon raised an eyebrow. "How many people were you thinking of inviting to the wedding?"

"I thought we'd fill the auditorium, don't you think so Darlin'?"

"Do we even know 2,000 people Luke?" Rayna asked.

"I thought it could be a contest for our fans you know? Be one of the lucky 1500 fans that gets to attend when Rayna Jaymes becomes Mrs. Luke Wheeler. I thought you're all about giving back to the fans?"

Rayna sighed, "I am Luke, but a wedding is supposed to be something a little more intimate than that, don't you think?"

"Honey we're superstars. There's nothing about our lives that's intimate and small. Our proposal wasn't private, why should the wedding be? Though if you really want something smaller it doesn't have to be The Ryman, but I think we're missing out on a great story to tell our grandkids."

Deacon looked on with amusement. He'd known Rayna since she was 16, had thought about marrying her over 1000 times in the last 25 years, and not one of those times did he ever picture anyone there besides he and Rayna…well, to be fair once the kids came along he imagined they would be there too, and probably Scarlett and Tandy, but that was pretty much it.

The girls had gone over to the couch to play games with Colt, they could hear the electric sounds of the game buzzing in the background adding to the cacophony of sound in the room. "I should be going Ray," Deacon said, suddenly uncomfortable in the conversation they were having. "I'll catch you guys in a couple of days."

"Wait," Rayna said standing up from the stool she was perched on. "I'll walk you out."

Rayna walked Deacon to the door carefully closing it behind them as she stepped outside with him. They were standing only inches apart and both of them felt the electricity immediately. "I'm sorry about in there Deacon."

"It's fine Ray, don't worry about it." He started to move away from her, but once again she stopped him. "No, it's not. I don't want you to think that I haven't been thinking about what you said to me the other day. Cause I have. It's just…" Rayna paused trying to find the right words to say. "It's complicated with the public proposal, and the album launch, and everything. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed."

Deacon smiled sweetly as he took Rayna's face in his hands. "It's okay Ray. I told you that you didn't have to answer me right away, and you don't. Take as much time as you need. Do I wish you weren't doing it while still wearing that monstrosity on your finger? Sure, but as long as you're not standing here telling me that there's no hope for us, I'm fine with you taking the time to figure out what you really want. After all, it's not just about you and me. There are two very lovely ladies in there that we have to think about."

Rayna smiled up at him. "Thanks Deacon." They were wrapped up in the moment and both leaned in ever so slightly towards the other's lips to the point where their breaths mingled in mid-air, but they knew it wasn't the right time or place for that. Deacon pulled back releasing the hold he had on Rayna's face. "I should really go Ray."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

Rayna watched as Deacon got into his truck and backed out of the driveway. No matter how many times he did it, him leaving always felt wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Saturday. A week after Rayna had received two proposals in one evening, and she still was no closer to making her decision. She knew what her heart wanted her to do, but she'd trusted her heart before and it had led her to a hospital bed where her body remained limp for two weeks. Her head was telling her that Luke's proposal was the best thing that could have happened to her fledgling label. Since the concert, album sales had gone through the roof, mostly because every tabloid website and gossip rag had a photo of Rayna on stage with Luke down on one knee. It looked like a fairytale to the millions of fans looking to share a little piece of romance with two of their favorite country singers, but Rayna knew that the reality was something different. At least her reality was.

The girls had barely talked to her since the proposal…at least the one they knew about. They didn't seem to be mad at her per se, but they also seemed to be carefully avoiding her. Especially Maddie. She wondered for a moment if Deacon had told her about what happened later in the night, but she knew that he'd never put her in that position with their daughter.

It was late in the evening and everyone had cleared out of the house except for Rayna and the girls. Rayna walked through her upstairs hallway. Daphne's door was closed and it appeared that her light was out, but a small light was shining from the open sliver in Maddie's. Rayna walked over and softly knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"

She heard Maddie stir in bed before she said "sure mom."

Rayna walked in and sat on the edge of Maddie's bed. She was sitting up with a pad and pen in her hands. "What are you up to?" Rayna asked.

"Not much, just playing around with some lyrics I guess."

"Can I see?

Maddie got a bashful look on her face and pulled the pad closer to her chest. "I don't know mom, they're kind of private."

Rayna felt sad, Maddie had been pulling further and further away from her lately. A couple of years ago she would have been bouncing off the walls to show her something she'd written.

"Well, okay, but know that you can share anything with me Maddie, alright?"

Maddie nodded her head. "Is Luke going to move in here?"

Rayna tensed a little she didn't really want to talk about impending nuptials with the girls until she was sure what she really wanted to do. "I don't know yet, we haven't really discussed it. Would that be alright with you if he moved in?"

"I guess. If it's what will make you happy. Deacon said that the happier you are the happier we'll be as a family so we should just want what makes you happy."

Rayna was surprised that Maddie had discussed this with Deacon, but she wasn't sure why, they seemed to be growing closer every day. "Deacon said that?"

"Yeah, I told him I wasn't so sure about Luke, and he said that you're a really special lady, and if Luke Wheeler is the person who makes you happiest, than he must be a pretty special guy too. "

Rayna got tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe how unselfish Deacon was being about all this. She'd made him wait for her answer for days, and in the meantime he was singing Luke's praises to their daughter. She just felt awful for torturing him like this.

"It's just," Maddie continued. "I guess lately I started to think that maybe you and Deacon might get back together, and we could be a real family like we should have been. You always look so happy when you're together. But if you don't love him I understand."

Rayna sighed, how is it that her oldest was able to cut right to the core of what she was paining over for the last week? She didn't know how to answer her so she just leaned over softly kissing her on the head before saying goodnight.

When Rayna got back to her room she pulled out Deacon's record that she'd lifted from Maddie's room earlier in the week. She stared at the inscription he'd written to their daughter, and smiled as she placed the record on the player she'd moved up from the music room. She walked over to her jewelry box and carefully pulled out Deacon's ring, then sat down on the floor in her closet, a ritual that she'd done every night that she was alone since last week.

She stared at the band as Deacon's deep voice sang the words to "Keep Coming Back." She thought of how he placed the ring in her palm as he sang those words that kept making her heart race every time she heard them. "_And the place where I land, is the palm of your hand_." She placed the ring back in her palm and ran her finger over it slowly. Then she slid it onto her finger till it clanged against the platinum of Luke's band.

She looked at both rings on her hand and tried to imagine first one and then the other one being gone. How would she feel? She thought about it as she got into her pajamas, as she brushed her teeth, and as she climbed into bed. It was the last thing on her mind as she silently slipped into her dreams.

##

She opened her eyes in the morning to see Luke pulling back the curtains in her bedroom. Morning sleepy head. You better get up, we have a full round of interviews with the press today about the proposal and the upcoming wedding. Rayna ran her hand over her face wiping the sleep out of her eyes. Luke came over and sat down on the bed next to her taking her hands in his. "It's going to be great when we finally move in together and we never have to be apart." Rayna gave him a half-smile as Luke brought her left hand to his mouth to kiss the palm. All of a sudden he got a confused look on his face. "What's this?"

"What?" Rayna asked.

"This ring?" Luke replied holding up her finger that still held both the diamond he had given her, as well as the silver band she'd gotten from Deacon. She tensed a little realizing that she'd fallen asleep with both of them on. Not sure what to say, she felt like selective honesty was probably the best policy. "It's a ring Luke."

"I can see it's a ring Rayna, but where's it from?"

"It's just something I've had for the last 15 years. That's all."

The smile on Luke's face started to fade. "Now I can understand if you wanted to try a band on with my ring to see what it would look like, but that looks like a wedding band Rayna. That's not the ring that Teddy gave you is it? You should not be wearing another man's ring next to mine. It's just not right."

Rayna was relieved that Luke had made the wrong assumption and she could answer truthfully. "It's not Teddy's ring Luke. I wouldn't do that."

Luke seemed reassured for a second, but then he got a strange look on his face. "If it's not from Teddy, who gave you the ring?"

Rayna realized that there was no getting out of this conversation without the truth coming out, but damn if she wasn't going to drag it out as long as possible. "Deacon gave it to me," she said matter of factly.

Rayna could see that Luke was becoming annoyed with her short answers and the way he was having to draw all of this out of her. "Deacon gave you a wedding band? Is there something you aren't telling me? Did you two get married years ago and keep it a secret from everyone? It is a wedding band correct?"

Rayna nodded her head. "It is, but it's not ours. It was his grandmother's wedding band. He gave it to me…well, when he proposed all those years ago."

By now Luke was really riled up. Rayna could see that this wasn't going to end well, but she also couldn't seem to stop the train that seemed to be barreling down towards the end of the tracks. "For 15 years Rayna you kept his engagement ring? All the way through your marriage to Teddy? You never once thought to give it back?"

"I did give it back, after the accident I gave it back to him."

"So let me get this straight, for 14 years you keep Deacon's ring despite the fact you're married to another man, then after he nearly kills you in a car accident a year ago you give it back to him, yet it's sitting right there on your ring finger sharing real estate with my engagement ring. When'd you get it back Rayna?"

This was it, she knew it was going to be the final straw in the conversation, the thing that would send Luke careening over the edge, but she also knew there was no turning back now. "He gave it to me the night of the concert. He came over to the house afterwards."

"Are you kidding me Rayna? He comes over here after I proposed to you and gives you an engagement ring! That fucking asshole." Luke looked like he was imagining punching Deacon in the face and really enjoying it. "That man's got some balls, I'll give him that." He seemed stunned, but then his look of surprise turned to anger as he looked up at Rayna. "And you're just telling me this now? How could you keep this from me for a week Rayna? If we're getting married why did you even take it?"

Rayna looked down at her hands avoiding Luke's gaze. "Oh I get it," Luke said. The realization hitting him full force. "Cause you're thinking about marrying him aren't you? That's why you've been so weird this week. I thought it was about the media attention, but it's been about Deacon. Just like everything is always about Deacon for you. My god, twenty years can pass by and nothing changes. How could you lie to me Rayna?"

"I didn't lie to you," Rayna assured.

"I asked you point blank if I had to worry about Deacon and more than once you told me no. You said _he_ was your past and _I'm_ your future. That was clearly a lie Rayna."

Tears started to run down Rayna's cheeks. "I'm just confused Luke. I'm not saying I don't want to marry you Luke, I'm just trying to figure some things out for myself."

"You don't get it Rayna, I'm not going to marry a woman who's in love with someone else. I'm not going to stand around and watch you fawn all over him for the next twenty years of our life. If you're marrying me Rayna, he's not in your life. I know he's Maddie's father and you have to see him at her graduations and her wedding, but that's it. He's not dropping by to hang out, there's no impromptu family concerts, and there's definitely not going to be any songwriting between the two of you."

"I can't do that Luke. I could never just cut him out of my life completely."

"You can't Rayna, or you won't?"

Rayna knew it was time to finally stop lying to herself as well. "Fine, I won't."

"It's him or me Rayna. One of us is exiting your life today forever so you better be damn sure."

Rayna got quiet and looked down at her finger again with the two rings. Then she slipped them off of her finger. "Fine," she said. She took Luke's 7-carat diamond and placed it back in his hand. "I think it's best that you take this back." Luke took the ring from her and got a smirk on his face that chilled Rayna to the bone. "Fine, to hell with the two of you. You can have each other. You're both damaged goods anyways."

Luke stormed out of the room and down the back stairs. Rayna could hear him slam the door on his way out. Maddie and Daphne heard the raucous and made their way into their mother's room. "Is everything okay mom?" Daphne asked.

She could tell they were nervous and she tried to stop the tears from running down her face. "It's fine babies. I'm just not going to be marrying Luke that's all." Maddie's mouth turned up a little at the corners as she got into bed with her mom. Daphne climbed in too and they all cuddled together. "I'm sorry you're sad mom, but I'm kind of glad you're not marrying Luke. Maddie and I already have too many dads."

Rayna laughed and kissed her little one. "I promise, no more new dads. Just the two you already have. Now let's go make some breakfast. Everyone began to file out of the room and down to the kitchen to start the French toast, but Rayna stopped at the doorway. "You coming mom?" Maddie asked.

"I'll be down in a minute. Start without me." Rayna walked back into her closet and opened her jewelry box. She pulled out a silver chain and slid Deacon's ring on it, then she clasped it around her neck before running downstairs to join the girls.

##

Later that day Maddie was playing her guitar, but she was having trouble with a particular riff she was trying out. "Damn!" "Language young lady," Rayna said. "Sorry Mom. I've just been working on this all day and I can't seem to get it right. Do you think Deacon might be able to come over and help me out? Maybe we could invite him for dinner?" Rayna smiled back at the girl. She wasn't sure she was ready to see Deacon quite yet, but she also didn't want to disappoint her daughter. "Sure, that would be fine."

It had been quite a day. After breakfast Rayna had to call Bucky and tell him the news. He'd had to make excuses for she and Luke with all the news outlets. Something about her coming down with laryngitis and needing to rest her voice she thought, but eventually she'd have to make a statement. She and Bucky decided that People would be a good magazine for that. She let Bucky call Luke's people to figure out what to say. Truthfully, she was glad that she didn't really have to deal with the fallout quite yet.

Rayna walked around the house in a daze for the next few hours. She was nervous, though she didn't really know why. It's not as if she was the one who had proposed. When he rang the doorbell she let Maddie answer and let him in. First thing she thought was how good he looked. He was wearing that light blue plaid button down and his black boots, and all she wanted to do was take them off of him.  
"Get your mind out of the gutter Rayna," she thought. "You're about to have dinner with your girls."

Deacon walked over to the kitchen counter where Rayna was chopping up carrots for the salad. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Rayna looked back and smiled at him. "You could get the salad bowls. They're under the sink." Deacon leaned down and pulled four wooden bowls from the cabinet and placed them on the counter next to Rayna. First thing he noticed as he watched her chop the carrots was the lack of the crater on her left hand. He considered for a second that maybe she just took it off since she was cooking, but then he saw it, his ring, hanging right in-between her breasts on the end of a chain.

A wave of joy like no other came over Deacon and he began to smile from ear to ear. Rayna looked up at him returning his smile. "What?" she asked. "Oh nothing," he responded, but then the feeling overwhelmed him again as he realized that he was really going to get to spend the rest of his life by Rayna's side, and he couldn't contain his happiness. He rested his hands lightly on Rayna's hips and kissed the side of her head right above her left ear. As he pulled back they smiled at each other again getting lost in each other's gaze until the girls came barreling in from the living room. "Is dinner ready yet?" Daphne asked.

"Almost," replied Rayna. She and Deacon moved the food to the table and everyone sat down to eat. Rayna looked at her family diving into their food, and for the first time in a long time everything just felt right.

After dinner Deacon helped Maddie with her guitar then they all decided to watch a movie. They all crowded together on the couch. By the time it was over it was 11:15 and Daphne was passed out with her head on Deacon's lap. "I think this one's had it," he said. "I'm going to carry her up to bed."

"You do that," Rayna replied. "I need to wash the dishes anyway." Deacon carried Daphne upstairs and Maddie followed. He placed Daphne in her bed and shut the door, then walked over to Maddie's room. "Did you have fun tonight?" he asked.

"The best time, but I'm exhausted. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe not tomorrow, but soon okay?"

Maddie started to head into her room to close the door for the night when she turned around. "Dad?"

"Yeah, Maddie?"

"I'm glad mom's not marrying Luke. I think we'll all be happier this way."

Deacon smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah Maddie, so do I. Goodnight sweetheart." Maddie closed her door and Deacon headed back downstairs. When he got to the kitchen Rayna was finishing up the dishes. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, then he buried his face in her hair taking in her scent. "Maddie said she was happy you weren't marrying Luke. I'm happy about that too."

Rayna turned around in his arms. "I figured you would be."

Deacon reached down and pulled the chain with the ring into his hand. "Why are you wearing this here? That's not supposed to be where you wear it Ray, it's a ring."

"I know babe, but I'm just not so sure I'm ready to wear it on my finger quite yet."

"Well, at least there's nothing else there," Deacon sighed staring at the ringless finger on her left hand.

"I just think that we should take some time to adjust to being a family before we jump into marriage. I love you, and that's what I want, but you're right, you've changed, and so have I, and I think we have to take some time to get to know the new us. We have the children to think about, and I just want both of us to be 100% sure before we say forever, okay?"

Deacon pulled Rayna closer to him. "Ray, I'm 100% sure now, but if you need time to get there, I'm okay with that too, just as long as I can come along for the ride."

Rayna leaned into him placing her hand on his chest and smiling. "Yeah you can," she said as she softly kissed him on the lips. Deacon ran his hand up into her hair and pulled her head towards him deepening the kiss. Rayna responded in kind, looping her hands around his neck and his back releasing herself into the desperate need to have him that was growing inside of her. After a minute she pulled back. "The girls are upstairs. We can't do this now," Rayna said. "Right." Deacon nodded before pulling her back into his arms and kissing her more passionately that he had in ages. Rayna tangled her hands in his shirt, noticing that it was being held together with snaps instead of buttons. It would be so easy just to pull at them and she'd be pressed against his bare chest. Instead she pulled herself closer kissing him one more time before pulling away leaving a breathless Deacon panting with desire. She looked at him knowing there'd be no way she could deny herself what she wanted more than anything.

She took his hand and led him up the stairs. "We just have to be quiet okay?" Deacon followed behind her nodding his head. When they got to the bedroom and locked the door all sense of decorum left the pair. Clothing was ripped off at lightning speed and before either of them could have as much as a second thought they were naked rolling around in Rayna's bed, joined as one. Deacon was kissing her neck and Rayna was running her fingers through his hair. It all felt so amazing that she could barely comprehend that she had been so close to never having it be like this again. "My love," Rayna whispered in Deacon's ear. "Promise me we'll never be separated again?" Deacon pulled back a little looking into her eyes. "I promise Ray. No one is ever going to take you away from me again. And I will _never_ do anything that would hurt us. I swear." Rayna pressed her lips against his, slowly melting into the kiss until they were once again lost in each other's embrace.


	4. Chapter 4

Rayna stepped out of her car leaving the keys in the ignition. Luke leaned against the end of her hood in a casual way that could have only come from years of practice. She wasn't sure what he wanted to say to her, wasn't sure if he was still mad about the way they'd ended things. When they'd split there were a couple of conversations between managers that Bucky filled her in on. Luke agreed not to go public with the split for two months and Rayna agreed to say that it was a mutual decision that they'd both come to. After all, they were both multi-million dollar businesses, no need to mess all that up with a scandal. Once the two months were up People got the exclusive right to publish the story that the country royalty decided not to join forces after all. Luke had gone back on tour almost right away, and had stayed there for most of the two months creating a lack of necessity for well thought out excuses, but the story had gone to press last week, so it was finally out in the open. No more hiding, no more being careful of who she was with and what she was saying.

Luke flipped up the brim of his hat and leaned in, "Rayna Jaymes. If it isn't my newly ex-fiance."

"Hey Luke," Rayna said forcing a half-smile on her sun tanned face. "How was the rest of your tour?"

Luke smirked and eyed her up and down, "Not bad. They loved us in Santa Fe, though they always love me in Santa Fe."

"I'm sure." Rayna was a bit uneasy. Hoping this would go fast without any bumps. "I've really got to get going Luke. I'm glad you're well."

"Have to run off to Deacon?"

Rayna shuffled a little and ran her fingernails over the edge of the seat leather. "No, I have to pick up my girls. Deacon and I aren't together Luke." It wasn't totally untrue. They weren't officially together. Yes there had been some nights where her better judgment had slipped away, but she knew it wasn't a good idea for them to be official yet, especially not before the article had come out.

Luke let out a low laugh, "You're expecting me to believe that you didn't go running back to Deacon the moment I walked out the door?"

"I told you Luke, I was confused. I wasn't ready to commit to anyone. You were the one who broke off the relationship, not me."

Luke settled down and got quieter, "Maybe I gave up too easily. I had a lot of time to think while I was on the road Rayna and maybe I pushed you a little too hard. I'm just used to knowing what I want and going after it."

"I know you are Luke, but I'm not a possession, I'm a person, and I don't like to be rushed."

"Well, if you're not with Deacon, maybe we could try again, this time slower?"

Rayna tensed, she knew Deacon would be incensed she was even having this conversation. "I don't know if that's such a good idea Luke, I think me being alone for a while was probably the right move for me."

"Well, doesn't mean I can't keep trying."

Rayna smiled weakly in return. "I really do have to go Luke, I'll see you around, alright?" Rayna climbed back into her SUV and shut the door. She started it up and Luke removed himself from her hood stepping back away from the car as she sped off.

##

She walked into her house to find Deacon baking with Maddie and Daphne. She could already smell the smoke from the front door. "What are you three doing? I thought I told you no more projects where you have to use the oven. You'd think one of us in this family would know how to cook."

"I think our talents lie elsewhere Ray." Deacon fanned the smoke with his towel pulling a slightly charred chocolate cake out and placing it on the counter. "I'm sorry girls. I know you were looking forward to this."

"It's alright," Daphne replied. "We did distract you asking you to teach us that new song."

"What song is that?" Rayna asked.

"We'll play it for you." Daphne and Maddie ran upstairs to go grab their instruments. Rayna settled next to Deacon by the burnt cake on the counter. She put her hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed his upper back. "It's okay babe, I like vanilla anyway." Deacon smiled up at her, then softly kissed her on the lips.

Rayna moved away a little glancing around the room. "I ran into Luke today."

"Oh?" Deacon asked with a raised eyebrow. "How did that go?"

"Okay I guess. He wasn't mad. In fact he asked me if we could try again."

"How'd he react when you told him we were together?"

Rayna looked away, purposefully avoiding Deacon's gaze. "I didn't exactly tell him that."

"Why not Ray?"

"Well, technically we're not really back together, I mean it's barely been out in the press that Luke and I broke up. I didn't want there to be a lot of gossip."

"Come on Ray, you know we're back together. We might be taking it slow, but we belong together. Why wouldn't you be honest with him?" Deacon got a sour look on his face. "Unless you're thinking of getting back together with him? Are you?"

"Of course not, don't be silly."

"I don't know what to think Ray? I thought we were good, I thought we were a family?"

"We are a family."

"Then why wait any longer to tell people? What are you holding out for?"

At that moment the girls came bounding back down the stairs with their guitars and started singing in the kitchen. Both Rayna and Deacon turned their focus to their daughters as they launched into song. Rayna rested her hand on top of Deacon's on the counter, but he pulled it away. She got a sick feeling in her stomach, but tried to push it away and listen to the girls.

Later after they'd all gone up to bed she and Deacon were down in the living room cleaning up. Rayna walked up to him as he was putting his guitar in his case and wrapped her arms around him from behind resting her cheek on his back.  
"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to upset you." Deacon turned around in her arms and pulled her in to his chest. "I know, I just don't understand what's going on here? I thought you loved me, that you were done with Luke?"

Rayna sighed. "I am. I do. I just need some time. I told you that."

"Yeah, I thought two months was time. It's not that I want to push you, cause I don't. I know how much you hate that. I just love you and the girls so god damn much and I hate being away from you. Even for a day."

Rayna circled her arms around his neck. "I know you do, and I love you for that, but this isn't about us, it's about me. You know that I've never been single for more than a couple of months since I was 16?"

"I remember, I was there when you were 16."

"Mmmhmm. Fell in love with you right away, and haven't stopped loving you ever since. I love us together. At least when we're both in stable places, but I want to try to be stable on my own for a change."

"How long is that for?"

"I don't know. How ever long it takes until I feel solid."

Deacon let the sadness creep into his eyes. "I just feel like we've already wasted a ton of time. I don't want to waste anymore time where we could be a real family. Maddie is practically grown up. I just want to be there for as many moments as possible."

"I know you do, and you will be. I'm not saying I need forever, just some time okay?"

Deacon rested his forehead against hers and pulled her closer. Then he kissed her nose. "Okay. I should go. I'll see you tomorrow baby alright?"

Rayna nodded her head as she followed Deacon to the door. She opened the door for him and leaned into him as he stood across the threshold. "Just bare with me Deacon. I know things are frustrating for you right now, but I promise you it won't be like this forever."

Deacon took her face in his hands and kissed her one more time. Then he nodded his head and once again headed into his truck and back to his house in East Nashville.


	5. Chapter 5

**Glad people are liking the story. This chapter gets a little smutty.**

##

Rayna had a last minute meeting with some radio execs about doing a promotional concert in three different cities with her album. It fell right in the time when she was supposed to pick the girls up at school, so she texted Deacon to see if he could grab them.

"No problem." He texted back. "I'll bring them to my place and the two of them can have a guitar lesson."

Rayna felt grateful that they were already operating like a family unit, one parent stepping in when the other was pulled away. She was smiling to herself as she drove cross-town through Nashville after her meeting. It had gone well. She was set to play in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Tickets would go on sale tomorrow, and she'd leave for the tour in two weeks. She wished she could take the girls with her, but they were still in school for another month. It had been arranged that Daphne would stay with Teddy while she was gone, and Maddie would split her time in between he and Deacon, with Deacon getting Rayna's usual weeks. Teddy had put up a fuss at first, but he eventually acquiesced.

Rayna pulled up in front of Deacon's. It was about 5:00pm and the hot Nashville sun was still blazing down on her as she stepped out of her car. The door to Deacon's house was open and she could hear the sounds of laughter in between the twangy chords of the metal guitar strings.

Rayna paused in the doorway expecting to see Deacon and the two girls, but there was a fourth person in the room, someone she didn't recognize. It was a woman, probably about 35, petite, dark hair, cowboy boots and a worn flannel that just made her look natural rather than shabby. She wasn't beautiful, but she had a certain beauty about her that Rayna was sure men found appealing, especially when she smiled. It felt odd seeing her family sitting there with someone else, similar to when she'd seen Peggy and Teddy with the girls when they were married, but this was different, there was an element of unknown, and the pang was related directly to Deacon rather than the family as a whole.

She stepped forward across the threshold and cleared her throat to let everyone know she was there. Everyone stopped their merriment and looked up.

"Hey mom," Daphne said putting down her guitar and running over to hug her mother. "Deacon and Cassie were teaching us the Ashley Monroe song _The Truth_."

"You're wrong, it's a Jason Alden song," Maddie countered.

The woman who Rayna gleaned from the conversation was named Cassie chimed in. "Actually, Ashley wrote it when she was just a teen about a boy she'd dated."

"I like her version better," Daphne said. "I want to be able to write songs like her when I'm a teenager."

"Hey!" Rayna exclaimed pretending to be hurt. "I've written songs since I was a teenager. Don't you want to be like me?"

Daphne shrunk a little embarrassed that she'd forgotten for a moment that her mom was a country artist too. "Of course, mom. But I don't want to be a big superstar like you. I'd rather just write good songs and sing to smaller audiences like Deacon does."

Rayna tried not to take it personally that her daughter didn't seem to want to be the type of artist that she'd become, but deep down it stung a little. Rayna collected herself before asking the question she'd been wanting to ask since she walked in the door. "I don't believe we've met. Did Daphne say Cassie?" Rayna stuck out her hand to shake the woman's.

"Hi, yes." The woman had a firm handshake and her fingers were clearly calloused from playing guitar.

Deacon put down his guitar and stood up. "I met Cassie at the Bluebird the other night through some friends Ray. Joe and Jim thought she and I would be good writing partners."

"You guys are writing together? I didn't think you ever wrote with anyone but me? I thought you felt more comfortable in your own head?"

"I wrote with Juliette too, that turned out pretty well."

Rayna bristled at the mention of Deacon's brief writing union with Juliette. It was something that she liked to pretend never happened. "Don't remind me."

Deacon gave her a chastising look. "I didn't mean like that Ray. I meant the songs. I think _Undermine_ is a pretty good song. It certainly did well on itunes."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It is a good song. Well, it was nice meeting you Cassie. We should get going girls. Deacon are you going to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Can't, we're going to hunker down for the rest of the night and work on an idea that Cassie had for some lyrics earlier, but tomorrow, okay?"

Rayna gave him a half-smile that she wasn't sure masked her disappointment. "Alright, tomorrow."

On the way home, Maddie wouldn't shut up about how cool the guitar was that Cassie had, and how she'd made her way on her own across the country from Utah when she was just 17. "Wow, she sounds just great." Rayna managed to get out. She knew feeling jealous was silly, Deacon loved her and there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn't seem to shake the gnawing feeling that was securely planted at the pit of her stomach.

##

The next night Deacon and Rayna were cleaning up the dinner dishes as the girls watched a movie in the den. Deacon was standing by the sink, dish towel thrown over his left shoulder. She just watched him as he washed the dishes. She examined every line in his face, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She thought how nicely he'd grown into himself, she'd always been wildly attracted to him, but age had been kind to Deacon Claybourne, and she found herself thinking that he was even sexier today than he was in his youth. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him close. "I love you, you know."

Deacon turned his head to look back at her. "I thought you might. I love you too." He turned back to the dishes continuing to scrub the bits of lasagna from the plate. Rayna ran her hand down his arm and onto the water tap turning it off. Deacon turned around fully in her arms. "Why'd you do that?"

Rayna ran her hands up and down the buttons of his shirt. "I just wanted to look in your eyes, that's all." Deacon smiled and wrapped his own arms around Rayna's waist. "When are the girls going back to Teddy's?"

"Tomorrow."

Deacon nuzzled Rayna's neck planting small kisses along the side. Then he whispered, "I don't know if I can wait that long." Rayna closed her eyes taking in the intense feeling of his mouth on her skin. When she opened them she pulled away slightly. "Well, you'll have to since I don't think those ladies are anywhere near wanting to go to sleep. Maddie had coffee earlier. She's going to be up all night."

Deacon chuckled and let go of Rayna. "Alright. Tomorrow then. When are you leaving for the tour?"

"Next week, and I'll be gone for two and a half. I'll miss all you guys."

"We'll miss you too Ray." Deacon turned back around to finish the dishes and Rayna wandered into the den to watch the movie with the girls.

##

A couple of days later the girls were at Teddy's and Rayna and Deacon were lying in bed. She was on her stomach as he lay beside her drawing soothing circles on her back with his fingertips. "That feels so good babe, especially after the day that I had."

"I know, you shouldn't let those guys get to you that way. I know it's their concert, but you're the one singing. If you don't feel like their set up will work for you than you have every right to tell them what you need."

"He called me a diva Deacon! Me, a diva!" Rayna was getting excited now and she flipper her head around to look at Deacon. He moved his hand to her head in response, softly brushing her hair off of her face. "We both know you have had your share of diva dips so what's this really about?"

"I don't know, it's just different this time. It's my label. Everything just has to be perfect. I really need this to succeed."

"And it will. Come here." Deacon pulled Rayna into his arms and rolled her over so he was on top of her. "You are an amazing artist with more than 25 years of experience. You know this business inside and out and you've always managed to shine. This isn't going to be any different Ray."

Rayna sighed and looked up at Deacon. "Thank you babe. I needed that pep talk." Suddenly a wicked smile crossed her face. "And now I need another kind of pepping up." Deacon could feel her moving beneath him as she pulled him towards her grinding her hips against his. "Oh really? I think I can handle that too." Deacon leaned down taking her lips with his own and deepening the kiss until he made Rayna moan. She could feel how hard he was and she didn't want to wait any longer to be joined with him. She reached down pushing his boxers over his ass. He pulled back a little, lifting her t-shirt off and tossing it to the floor before rolling back on top of her. Rayna sighed as he entered her, taking him in fully. "Nothing in the world feels as good as this. The cure for all that ails me."

Deacon moved at a slow pace, savoring every stroke. "It's too bad you can't take me on the road with you in your suitcase and pull me out when you're having a rough day."

"That's not a bad idea." Rayna pulled his head closer once again engulfing his mouth in another lingering kiss before showing him what an amazing idea it would really be.


	6. Chapter 6

Rayna got off the stage in Chicago and headed back to her dressing room. She couldn't wait to get out of the 4-inch heels and the confining sparkly dress and slip into her jeans and cowboy boots. She loved all the rhinestones, but these days she wanted to confine them to her time on the stage. It had been a wonderful performance. She'd sung new songs like "This Time" and "Wrong for the Right Reasons, and old classics like "American Beauty" and "The Best Songs Come From Broken Hearts," then finished the encore with "Already Gone." Definitely one of her top 10 performances in the past year. The stadium was packed, the crowd was cheering, and there was so much raw energy in the room that Rayna felt like if she had stepped off the stage into the audience she would have floated right up to the balcony levels.

But now all she could think of was getting back to her hotel to her computer. It had been an early show and she was in the limo by 10:15 which would give her just enough time to Skype with the girls before they went to bed. This was the Deacon week, the three of them were staying at Rayna's place instead of his own so that Daphne could have a sleepover with Maddie. The moment she got back to her room she kicked off her shoes and positioned herself on the couch.

"We have to go over the set list for tomorrow Rayna." Bucky said following her into her suite.

"Can you wait twenty minutes Buck? I just want to see the girls before they have to go to bed."

"Sure, Ray. I'll be in the other room going over some Highway 65 business."

Bucky left and Rayna hit the little blue icon and a few seconds later Daphne was on the other side of the screen. "Hey mom! How was the concert?"

"So good, where are Deacon and Maddie?"

"Maddie's upstairs in her room talking on the phone with some boy and Deacon is in the music room working on a song with Cassie."

Rayna shuddered. "Cassie's there? At our house?"

"Yeah, Deacon said they were working on a duet for her album. She cooked dinner for us. Salmon in paper." Just then Maddie came bounding down the stairs and leaned in behind Daphne. "En papillote. It was fancy."

"Well whatever it was, it was delicious." Daphne said. "I didn't think I liked fish, but hers was so good."

Rayna sighed. Writing songs with Deacon, cooking meals for her family. She was starting to hate this woman and she hadn't said more than three words to her since she met her. The girls seemed excited about her so she tried to mask her feelings. "Well that's nice. I'll have to get the recipe. Daph, why don't you let me talk to Maddie while you go tell Deacon that I'm on Skpye."

Daphne jumped up and ran into the other room while Rayna chatted with Maddie. "What is this I hear about you and a boy?"

"Nothing mom, he's just a friend. I'm going to kill Daphne."

"Come on now, she was filling me in on what you were doing upstairs. Don't be mad at your sister." Just then Daphne came bouncing back into the room and practically sat on Maddie's lap. "Deacon said that he didn't want to take away from your special time with us so he'd talk to you later."

Rayna swallowed hard as her heart started to beat quickly. Deacon never passed up a chance to talk to her. What was going on here? Did he really not want to talk to her? Would he rather be with Cassie? She tried to force herself to concentrate on the girls for the next ten minutes until it was time to say her goodnights. "Kisses to the both of you. I'll see you next week."

"Bye mom!" was said in unison, and then she was alone again. Tears started to fall from her eyes. She tried to wipe them away as Bucky walked back into the room, but she wasn't fast enough for him. "What's wrong Rayna? Are the girls okay?"

"The girls are fine Buck." Rayna managed to hold it together for a moment before once again letting salty drops stream down her face. "Do you think Deacon could be cheating on me with that woman Cassie?"

Bucky let out a deep rumble of a laugh. "You're kidding right? Deacon cheating on you? I can't even imagine that."

Rayna nodded her head, she knew she was being silly, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

Bucky came and sat down next to her on the couch. "Though, would it really be cheating Rayna? I didn't think you guys were officially back together?"

"Well, I guess we're not."

"Then how could he be cheating on you?"

Rayna looked at him exasperated. "Come on Buck, you know that even if we're not together together we're together."

Bucky laughed again; this time more of an extension of a smirk. "I _don't_ know that Rayna, but the better question is does Deacon know that?" Bucky looked at her tired face etched with worry. "Listen, I'm sure there's nothing going on with Deacon and that writing partner of his, but if you're worried about it you should talk to him. You guys were always great about talking each other through all the tough problems in your lives, but you've always been shit when it comes to communicating about your relationship."

Rayna looked at Bucky exasperated and a little offended. "Thanks Buck."

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I've observed over the past 20 years. You know how hard it was to watch the two of you try to talk about everything but how much you loved each other for the 14 years you were married to Teddy? It became like a complicated dance of cryptic conversations and meaningful longing looks. It would have been funny if it wasn't so tragic."

Rayna put her face in her hands. "I can't even imagine going back to that. I can't believe we lived like that for so long, suppressing every natural urge we had when it came to each other. I don't want to do that anymore."

"Then why are you? Why are you waiting to commit to Deacon?"

"It just seemed like so much all at once. I wanted to give myself some time to breath on my own before jumping into this with him. You know how we get. We're all or nothing, and all usually means we're so consumed with each other that almost everything else just falls away."

Bucky rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't think Deacon is cheating on you Rayna, but I think you two need to get on the same page before he starts reading a new book."

The tears started to form in Rayna's eyes again and she fought to hold them back. "Why don't you get some sleep. We'll do the set list in the morning."

Rayna nodded her head silently. "Night Rayna."

"Night Buck."

##

A few days later Rayna was getting off the stage in Philly. Another run to the dressing room, more stripping off of 4-inch heels and silver sequins. A white tank top and an old flannel she'd once picked up off the floor at Deacon's lay waiting for her on her chair. She threw them on along with her favorite pair of jeans and some black boots and ran out the door. Today's limo ride was taking her to the airport where her Highway 65 plane was waiting for her.

Just under two hours later she was sitting in her SUV in front of Deacon's house. The girls were back at Teddy's this week, and despite the lateness of the 11:45 time she didn't want to wait any longer to see him.

Two minutes later she was still sitting in her car. She's noticed that the car parked in front of his house behind his truck was the same one that was there the other day when she'd picked up Maddie and Daphne. She slowly got out of the SUV and walked across the street and up the steps to Deacon's house. She was going to ring the doorbell, but then she noticed that there weren't any lights on in the house. She peered in through the window and the only light she saw was the glow from the old digital clock they'd bought sometime in the early 90s. Rayna looked back at the car parked in front of the lawn. It was definitely Cassie's. Her breath started to come quicker as she sensed the tell tale signs of a panic attack heading her way. Visions of the two of them in his bedroom filled her head. Deacon unbuttoning her shirt, kissing her stomach in the way he kissed her own, whispering how much he wanted her in her ear. She had to calm herself down, letting her mind wander these places wasn't helping. She sat on his porch swing and tried to take a deep breath. That's when she heard it, the melodic sounds of an acoustic guitar coming from the backyard and Deacon's low voice singing some lyrics she'd never heard before.

Rayna stood up and walked around back. She sheltered herself by the edge of the shed as she watched the two of them. They were sitting around a little firepit that Deacon had purchased a while back. Their backs were to Rayna but she could hear their voices mingling in a pretty duet that was about re-found love and second chances. Rayna watched them entranced by the music until they finished, and when they'd sung their last note she clapped startling the pair. They turned around seeing her standing there.

Deacon jumped up and ran to her, barely putting down his guitar. "Ray! I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Don't stop, that song was lovely."

Deacon got a disappointed look on his face. "You weren't supposed to hear that yet. It's not done."

Rayna was still a little stiff, unsure of what was really going on here. "It sounded done, it sounded like you two have been spending lots of hours on it."

A look of confusion appeared on Deacon's chiseled features. "Cassie's just been helping me with the melody. The lyrics are mostly mine. It's about us Ray, I was going to surprise you with it."

A wave of relief hit Rayna like a ton of bricks, then that relief turned to embarrassment. How could she have mistrusted Deacon's love for her after all this time. "Oh, I see. It's really lovely babe."

Deacon turned back to Cassie. "Why don't we call it a night for now. I'd like to spend some time with my lady if that's alright."

"Sure, no problem. Talk to you later." Cassie said grabbing her own guitar and giving Deacon a "go-get-em" wink as she headed back to her car.

Deacon pulled Rayna into his arms kissing her softly. "Was that jealousy I saw in your eyes?"

"Who me? Why would I be jealous?" Deacon raised an eyebrow giving her a look that said no bullshit here. "Okay, maybe a little jealous, but you've been spending all this time with her, and she seems so perfect."

Deacon put up one of his hands. "I'm going to stop you right there Rayna. First off, no one is perfect, and if anyone comes close to being perfect in this world it's you. Miss I'm a world class country singer with my own label, two beautiful kids, and hair that has its own Twitter account."

Rayna laughed as she put her arms around Deacon's neck. "I don't know, all of a sudden I was just scared that because we weren't official that you were looking elsewhere."

Deacon sighed. "I'm not looking elsewhere Ray, but you can't have it both ways. Either we're together and we belong to each other, or we don't. There's no in between. Are you ready for us to be officially together?"

Rayna ran her fingers through Deacon's hair dragging her nails across the back of his head. "I think so." She leaned in to him slowly taking his lips in hers. The kiss deepened to the point where despite the late hour it wasn't really appropriate to be doing this in Deacon's backyard. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom where he unbuttoned her shirt and kissed her stomach just in the way she liked it. Then as he entered her he kissed up her neck to her ear and whispered "I love you so much Ray. I'll never want anyone but you." She thought about earlier and how very close and far from that moment she was all at the same time.

Later when they were laying in bed Rayna was drawing circles on Deacon's chest with her fingers. "Babe?" "Yeah Ray." "That song is so lovely, and Cassie has such a nice voice, but I don't want you writing with her anymore. In fact, I don't want you writing with any other woman but me."

Deacon laughed. "You are jealous Ray."

"Of course I'm jealous. The music, bringing lyrics and melody together in a perfect harmony, that's our thing. I know you wouldn't cheat on me, I know that songwriting doesn't have to always equal sex, but you and me together writing songs, that's sacred. I would never do it with anyone else, and I'd really prefer if you didn't either."

Deacon pulled her tightly into his arms and kissed her forehead before looking straight into her eyes. "Alright Ray, no more writing with Cassie or anyone else, as long as you put this ring on your finger." Deacon reached down pulling up the chain with his engagement ring.

"Well you're going to have to officially ask me first. You're not getting off that easy buster."

Deacon smiled, then he reached around Rayna's neck and undid the clasp on her necklace. He slid the ring off of it and put the chain on the nightstand. Then he got out of bed and kneeled down on the floor. "Rayna Virginia Wyatt will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Rayna laughed and tangled herself up in the sheet as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Is this the story you want to tell our grandchildren? That we were completely naked with you on the floor?"

"Well, I might tell our grandkids the "G" version, but yeah, this is how I want to do it."

Rayna looked down at him naked, kneeling on the floor and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was her man…forever. "Get up off that floor Deacon. Yes, yes I will marry you." Deacon slipped the ring on Rayna's finger then tackled her onto the bed as the two swapped kisses in between laughing fits. Finally they calmed down and Rayna spoke as she went back to stroking Deacon's hair and stubble. "It's a good thing you're so sexy, not every man looks so hot sitting naked on the floor."

"Oh? How many men have you seen naked on the floor?"

Rayna swatted at him in a playful manner. "I'm just saying. You're pretty darn sexy, and I'm glad you're mine." Deacon rolled her onto her back holding her hand with the ring on it. "And I'm glad you're mine." He leaned in and kissed her sucking on her bottom lip before once again working his way all the way down her body just the way she liked it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Not sure if this is going to be the last chapter, or I'll continue this into a longer story. If it's the last, hope you enjoyed the story!**

##

Deacon walked into his bedroom carrying a tray with coffee and French toast, finding Rayna folded into the sheets admiring the ring on her left hand. He placed the tray on the bedside table and sat down beside her on the propped up pillows. Rayna let out a little sigh that Deacon couldn't quite place.

"Is that a good sigh or an unhappy sigh?"

"It's a good sigh, I love this ring, it's so special, it's just," Rayna paused for a second choosing her words carefully. "I'm a country girl. I like a little bling."

Deacon laughed. "Uh oh, you feeling nostalgic for that 7 carat rock Ray?"

Rayna snuggled into Deacon reassuring him that she was happiest when she was in his arms. "Well, not the man who went with it, but maybe the ring just a little bit."

Deacon took Rayna's hand in his and slowly slid it off of her finger.

"Hey, what are you doing? I didn't say I wanted to give it back."

"I'm not taking it back, at least not permanently, but if you want some bling baby, I'll get you some bling. We can use this ring for your wedding band and I'll get you something with a diamond in it. How does that sound?"

"That sounds nice." Rayna purred kissing the stubble on Deacon's cheeks and jawline.

"Now, I'm going to warn you it's not going to be as big as that crater you were wearing before, but I promise it will be adequately shiny."

Rayna lay back, engulfing herself in the pillows. "That's okay, that other ring was too big anyway. I don't want to wear anything that's going to outshine my natural luster."

"Baby," Deacon said pulling her into his arms. "Nothing could outshine you. Not even the Hope Diamond."

##

A couple of days later Teddy dropped the girls off at Deacon's for their weekly guitar lesson. Deacon thought about how when he moved in with Rayna they wouldn't have to have these scheduled meetings, they'd be together all the time, and a 7:00am impromptu concert could be a regular occurrence. Well, maybe not 7:00am, he never liked to leave the warmth of Rayna's sleeping body that early in the morning.

The girls blew through the front door like a hurricane and started opening their guitar cases. Maddie with her new L00, and Daphne with Maddie's old guitar.

Deacon stopped them. "Not so fast girls, we're going on a little field trip today."

"Are we buying me a new guitar?" Daphne asked.

"Um, not today. Let's wait until you get used to that one first," Deacon responded.

Maddie and Deacon laughed at Daphne's disappointed look. "We are going to buy something pretty expensive, but it's for your mamma."

"A new car? A house? A pony?" Daphne threw items out as if she was a game show host offering up possible prizes.

Maddie's eyes got wide with realization. "An engagement ring?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go pick one out, and I thought maybe you girls could help me. What do you say?"

The girls got all excited and the three of them streamed out the door and into the car. When they hit the store the girls were racing around running their fingers over the cases as they admired everything from a 100-year-old antique to a 5-carat stunner that Deacon would have to sell half of his guitars to afford. Daphne took his hand and pulled him towards a case with pink diamonds. "These are really cool!"

"Yeah, but maybe not your mamma's style. Let's stick to white, okay?"

"How about these?" Maddie gestured from a case in the back of the store. The three of them gathered around and looked down into the case of antique style rings with stones that seemed to range from a half carat up to about two carats. The clerk came over as Deacon gestured for his attention. "Could you pull out that one in the center back?"

The store clerk pulled it out and set it on the counter. "This is a VVS1 F colored 1.25 carat princess cut diamond with side filigree and .25 carats of chips."

"VV what?" Deacon asked.

"VVS1, it means that it's almost flawless, and F is the color meaning it's nearly colorless." The clerk responded.

Deacon picked it up holding it up to the light, then he handed it to Maddie. "What do you think girls?"

Maddie and Daphne looked over the ring in Maddie's hand and then looked up at Deacon nodding emphatically. "It's perfect!"

"It's $11,200." The clerk mentioned as he re-locked the case.

Deacon took a deep breath when he heard the price. "$11,000 for a ring?"

"Luke's was $350,000," Daphne added as Maddie gave her a sharp look.

"What? I read it in US Weekly." Daphne responded.

"350 grand? Really? That's about what my house is worth." Deacon rubbed the scruff on his face contemplating the ring.

"This is much nicer," Maddie reassured. "That ring was gaudy."

Deacon pulled his credit card out and placed it down on the counter. "Okay, we'll take it."

##

On Saturday the girls were back at Rayna's. Deacon came in with an overnight bag and placed it down by the kitchen counter. "What's that for?" Rayna asked. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yep, rest of the stuff is in my truck, but since we can't fit four in there we'll have to take your car."

"Oh, we're _all_ going on a journey. You gonna fill me in?"

"We're just heading to the cabin Ray. I thought it would be nice if all four of us headed up there for the weekend." Just then Maddie and Daphne bounded down the stairs with their own overnight bags thrown over their shoulders. "We're ready!"

Rayna looked around a little shocked. "Am I the only one who wasn't aware of this little trip?"

"Deacon asked if we wanted to go. We thought it would be fun to get out of the heat of Nashville and head to the lake for a couple of days."

Rayna gave them suspicious looks. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but I could use a couple of days away I guess. Let me go pack a bag."

"Already packed!" Maddie held up her mother's overnight bag.

"Well then, I guess there's nothing more to do but leave."

Deacon threw all their stuff in the back of Rayna's SUV including the overnight bags, the guitars, and a cooler full of food. "You'd think we were going for a whole month with the amount of stuff that's back here." Rayna said as she peered into the car. "That's not part of the surprise is it? Once you get me up there you're kidnapping me for a month?"

Deacon smiled as he climbed into the drivers seat. "I'd love to Ray, but I don't think you could spend that much time without phone reception, or your hair dryer."

Rayna slapped Deacon on the shoulder as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "I could go at least a week without my hair dryer."

The family sang songs on the way down highway 65 to the cabin. Some pop songs from the top 40 along with some new ones that Deacon and Maddie had written together. "It is okay that I've been writing with Maddie, right Ray?"

Rayna laughed. "Yes, of course it's okay that you're writing with our daughter, but I'd like to get in on that too. Maybe we'll have some time for that up at the cabin? Unless of course you've planned out every minute once we get there?"

Deacon looked over at her, Rayna's red waves bouncing in the breeze from the open window. He couldn't get over how much he loved her, and how lucky he was that she'd not only given him a second chance, but a third and a fourth, and a fifth. This time he promised himself, he wasn't going to let her down. He didn't want there to have to be a sixth chance. "I'm sure we can find time for some family song writing somewhere in there."

##

Up at the cabin the early evening sun shown down on the lake, creating rainbow like prisms in the rippling water. Deacon and Rayna sat on their front porch while the girls cooked dinner. Both contemplated how it wasn't that long ago that they were sitting in the same two chairs yelling at each other over Rayna keeping Maddie from Deacon. She was still with Luke, and both were afraid that Deacon would never forgive her for the years of silence. Rayna felt him reach out and grab her hand, kissing her slender fingers. Suddenly she was aware of him slipping something onto her ring finger. When she got her hand back she looked down ogling the new addition. "What's this?"

"You said you wanted bling, so I got you some bling."

Rayna moved her hand around in the sunlight watching it sparkle. "Oh Deacon it's lovely."

"I wasn't sure, but the girls really liked that one."

"Oh no, it's perfect. They were right." She smiled up at him resting her hand on his knee. "You showed it to the girls?"

"We picked it out together. Thought it should be a family affair. Plus they have better taste than me when it comes to this kind of thing."

Rayna reached up sliding her hands over Deacon's face and kissing him softly. "Well I love it, which is a good thing, because this one is never coming off of this finger. Not ever."

Deacon pulled back an inch flashing her that smile that made her weak in the knees. "I love you so much Ray."

"I love you too Deacon. I can't wait to get my own ring on your finger."

"Let's not wait." He responded.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't need a long engagement. I'm sure I want to marry you today, and that's only going to grow every day we're together. Let's just do it."

"You don't mean today? You don't have a preacher hiding in the bushes do you?"

Deacon laughed. "No Ray, I don't mean today, but I do mean sometime in the next few weeks. Let's just have a party at the house. You, me, and the girls. A few friends, Tandy, Bucky, and Scarlett, and I guess I'll have to invite my sister."

"Oh, that'll be fun." Rayna raised an eyebrow. "Nothing like drunk Beverly at a special event."

"Why couldn't she have been the one who had to give up drinking?" Deacon mused. "She's not mean, she just runs her mouth off a bunch when she gets drunk."

"Don't remind me. Remember our first CMA win when we threw that big party and she felt like she had to share with the world that she'd seen us having sex in that old hammock we used to have in the backyard?"

Deacon groaned. "How about a dry wedding? Me and the girls can't drink it, and I doubt that anyone else will miss it."

Rayna nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Just then Maddie came outside. "Dinner's ready." She spotted the ring on Rayna's finger. "You gave it to her already?! I thought you were going to do it when we were there?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I couldn't wait. I got too excited."

"Do you love it mom?" Maddie asked taking her mom's hand in her own in an effort to admire the ring.

"Yes sweetie, it's beautiful, and Deacon said that you and your sister helped him pick it out?"

"We thought this one was a lot nicer than the last one. More you."

Rayna smiled at her daughter. "Yes, definitely more me. Everything I have today is more me. Come on. Let's go eat some of that delicious dinner you cooked." Rayna stood up to follow Maddie into the house while Deacon held back for a second. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll be in in a second."

The girls closed the sliding door behind them as they entered the house. Deacon stood up and walked to the edge of the porch and stared out at the lake for a minute. Then he turned around and watched all three women buzzing around the dining table through the glass door. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten. This was really his family. It was everything he'd ever wanted. He smiled to himself, then slid the door open stepping inside. Yep, this was truly his life that's good.


End file.
